Research Projects

4D printing is a novel concept that adopts time as the fourth dimension, allowing printed structures to independently alter their morphology. Using ‘smart or stimuli-responsive materials' as a feedstock, these products respond to external or internal stimuli such as temperature, water, or pH, contorting in a specific manner to create structures able to adapt and respond to their environment. such is the novelty of the technology, 4D printing is yet to be utilized in the field of pharmaceutical formulation research for potential drug delivery applications. This will pave the way for the creation of encapsulation devices that combine the personalization afforded by additive manufacturing with the intelligent kinetics of stimuli-responsive materials. Therefore, this proposal focuses on the design, engineering, manufacturing & validation of shape-memory responsive cellulosic composites (RCC) for 4D printed drug delivery devices with all necessary in vitro & in vivo evaluations to establish its suitability for potential drug encapsulation & delivery applications.